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Journal: Bishop Ferris leaves Canadian church

Jan 23rd, 2009 by

The recently-retired bishop of the northern Ontario diocese of Algoma, Ronald Ferris, has left the Anglican Church of Canada to become one of the leaders of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), a group of breakaway parishes opposed to such issues as the blessing of same-sex unions. ANiC has placed itself under the jurisdiction of the primate of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Gregory Venables.

Bishop Ferris, who now resides in Langley, B.C., relinquished his licence to Archbishop Terrence Buckle, metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of British Columbia and the Yukon.

“After 28 wonderful years as bishop, first in the Yukon and then in Algoma, I am delighted to embark on a new challenge – new church development,” said Bishop Ferris in a press statement. “My decision to relinquish the licence I held for so many years within the Anglican Church of Canada was not taken quickly or lightly.” He added that he and his wife, Jan, “deeply value our many years in Algoma and the Yukon and are thankful that during our time in Algoma, the diocese remained united as a ‘communion partner diocese’ and committed to upholding the teachings and disciplines of the Anglican Communion.”

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, received the news of Bishop Ferris’ departure “with regret,” said Archdeacon Paul Feheley, principal secretary to the primate. “Bishop Ferris has served the Anglican Church of Canada well. He has a long-standing service and dedication as bishop.”

Mr. Feheley said that while the church met Bishop Ferris’ decision with regret, it nonetheless “respects and understands when people follow their conscience.” He said that Bishop Ferris “has always been a strong conservative voice in terms of his beliefs and he has held on to that.”

Bishop Ferris is a known opponent of same-sex blessings and was one of 13 bishops who signed a statement of regret when the diocese of New Westminster synod approved a motion asking its bishop to allow the blessing of same-sex unions in 2002. He also voted against motions allowing same-sex blessings at the church’s 2004 and 2007 General Synods.

Mr. Feheley said Bishop Ferris had called the primate’s office on Thursday, Jan. 22, but was unable to talk to Archbishop Hiltz, who was on his way to visit parishes in Labrador.

In a news release, ANiC said that Bishop Ferris will focus on church planting in the Lower Mainland of B.C. and will also assist Bishop Donald Harvey, the former bishop of the diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, in exercising episcopal ministry. Bishop Harvey, who left the Anglican Church of Canada in 2007, is the network’s moderator; another retired bishop, Malcolm Harding, formerly of the diocese of Brandon, also joined the ANiC in 2007. The ANiC said it now has 66 priests and deacons and 26 parishes with about 3,200 Canadians attending church on an average Sunday.

The Anglican Church of Canada has about 2,800 congregations and 641,000 members on parish rolls.

“Bishop Ferris has been an unwavering advocate of orthodox Anglican and Christian beliefs and practices within the Anglican Church of Canada’s house of bishops,” said Bishop Harvey in a press statement. “He has always supported the stand taken by the Anglican Network in Canada, even when the vast majority of his peers opposed us.” He added: “Bishop Ferris is a gifted man of God who is highly respected in his former diocese and throughout Canada. He has a true pastor’s heart and is wholeheartedly dedicated to Christ’s ministry and service. I am grateful for the privilege of ministering together.”

A native of Toronto, Bishop Ferris, 63, retired last September after having served for 13 years as bishop of the diocese of Algoma, which is based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. He previously served as bishop of the diocese of the Yukon from 1981 to 1995.

In 2004, Bishop Ferris was nominated in the election for the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Bishop Ferris holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Thorneloe University in Sudbury, Ont., a doctorate of ministry from Pacific School of Religion in the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., and a doctorate of divinity from Huron College in London, Ont.

Posted in Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican Network in Canada

8 Responses to “Journal: Bishop Ferris leaves Canadian church”

  1. 1
    Steve L.- says:
    January 24, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    The Anglican Church of Canada has about 2,800 congregations and 641,000 members on parish rolls.

    It seems ever chance this figure is pulled out every time as some form of bragging rite. If the Brandon Diocese is any example many parishes have no priest. There are 21 Incumbents serving in 50 parishes. ASA is not the same as parish rolls. I was still on the Cathedral roll after I had gone to the ANiC. Fortunately for the sanity of the ACoC leadership they don’t publish ASA figures and growth-decline charts like TEC. If you look here and chose a diocese chart at random you will see that baptized members are about triple the figure for those actually attending. Doing an unscientific interpolation ACoC ASA should probably be about 250,000 or so. This figure is declining. The Brandon Cathedral, in their last annual report, said ASA was down from 130 to 100. I attended an ACoC Church for now, they seem to be Orthodox in spirit, but they are seeking a new incumbent and the Bishop retires in three years. A lot could happen but I don’t see ACoC repentance as one of them.

  2. 2
    Frank Wirrell says:
    January 25, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    The comments of Primate Fred Hiltz and his staff are nothing more than polite political rhetoric. I could believe them – cautiously, mind you – if current bishops within the Canadian House of Bishops stood up for the faith. Until that happens, NONE of them are worthy of their position and that includes Fred Hiltz. It is long since past the time when so-called Chief Shepherds recognize that the authority of Scripture is NOT subject to any democratic vote.

  3. 3
    Pauline says:
    January 25, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Up on the Anglican Communion Network site there is an application for Dioceses/Parishes etc. to join the new province in North America. It appears on the Titusonenine blog. Might be a good idea to have it handy!

  4. 4
    ML says:
    January 26, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Did anyone crunch the numbers? 641,000 divided by 2800 congregations comes to 229 members per congregation! Wow! You are suggesting a third of these actually attend; that would still put the ASA at 89 — I highly doubt that… there are far too many very small rural congregations, not to mention very small urban congregations. I am, of course, assuming that the word “congregation” is used for the people belonging to a single local church, in contrast to “parish” which sometimes includes 5 or 6 or more congregations (ie. “multi-point parish) with many of these congregations having an ASA of between 5 and 25.

  5. 5
    Steve L.- says:
    January 26, 2009 at 11:43 am

    Pauline et al. The Common Cause Site has the originalACNA Application and a few other related items.

    ML My numbers for the Brandon Diocese were congregations not parishes as I said. I get those confused easily in my old age.

  6. 6
    AMPisAnglican says:
    January 26, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    Statistics don’t lie. But the people who use them often do.

    641,000 members on Parish rolls dose seem high. But being on the Parish roll and actually attending every week are not the same things. This number likely includes the C&E types, in which case it may be close to accurate, but badly in need of updating.

    I do believe that for a Parish to be financially viable (this is the accountant in me talking) that it must have an ASA of at least 100 souls. Consider how many of these 100 would be retirees living on fixed incomes, and how many will be children and youth not yet gainfully employed. That these 100 souls would need to cover all of the costs of operating the Parish (including the salaries, the maintenance and upkeep of the land and buildings, various and numerous ministries, and of course the apportionment to the Diocese) it is hard to see how even 100 people would be enough.

    Where I live in Owen Sound, there are two Parishes. One has an ASA of about 75, the other about 110. I do not see how both Parishes are going to be able to continue, and think the day that these shall be merged together is not too far off. By the way, the ASA 75 Parish has a woman pretending to be a Priest who is also one of these revisionists, and the ASA 110 Parish has a (male) revisionist Priest and is experiencing a very serious decline in weekly attendance.

  7. 7
    Charles says:
    January 27, 2009 at 5:43 am

    In one of the congregations in my parish where I sometimes preach or Layread, the parish list has over 150 people but on a given Sunday the average attendance is 20. This gives aproximately a 15% attendance, which if you use this number for the entire church gives an ASA of less than 100,000. We must also remember that on these lists, some of the members may have moved and joined new churchs (so are on two lists), some may have left, died, or generally may be undesirous of continuing as members of the Apostate Anglican Church. I think that the official number is bunkum!

  8. 8
    ML says:
    January 28, 2009 at 11:17 am

    #7 Charles,
    That would be typical of parishes we have served in as well. In fact, often the list is even higher and also often includes everyone who has been baptised/confirmed/married in that parish since its inception…

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